MONDAY MORNING QUARTERBACK

Through one preseason game, Mac Jones looks the part



Astute football fans know what the preseason is, and what it isn’t. It isn’t competitive football with game-planning and high stakes and the best players on the field at all times. It is, however, an opportunity to see how new players look against NFL-caliber competition.

For Patriots rookie quarterback Mac Jones, he looked the part on Thursday night against Washington.

Jones operated the New England offense smoothly and efficiently, exuding the kind of confidence more often displayed by a seasoned veteran. It is, by all accounts, a translation of the work he has done during training camp.

For the game, Jones completed 13 of 19 passes for 87 yards. One pass ruled incomplete looked to be a catch, but coach Bill Belichick didn’t throw the red flag.

“Yeah, didn’t feel like challenging it,” Belichick said after the game.

Jones relieved starter Cam Newton and played into the second half, with the Pats using a no-huddle offense to start the third quarter.

“”We would have gone two-minute at the end of the second quarter but we didn’t have one, so we just went two-minute at the start of the third quarter,” Belichick told reporters.

It’s too early to make any broad conclusions, but Jones can at least check one box. He has passed the eyeball test.

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Mike Tomlin: Dwayne Haskins “was in command” in performance against Eagles



A productive training camp for Pittsburgh Steelers quarterback Dwayne Haskins continued against the Philadelphia Eagles on Thursday night.

Haskins completed 16 of 22 passes for 161 yards and a touchdown as the second quarterback into the lineup for the Steelers against the Eagles. Mason Rudolph started the contest with Ben Roethlisberger being held out by the team.

“I thought he was in command tonight,” Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin said, via Joe Rutter of the Pittsburgh Tribune-Review. “He did a great job communicating with people, going through his progressions. There was a third-down play, third-and-8 maybe, and I saw him go through three or four reads and throw the ball over the middle of the field and converted for us. That was a snapshot of the night he had.”

Haskins, a former first-round pick of the Washington Football Team in 2019, is battling with Rudolph for the backup job to Roethlisberger. The performance against the Eagles comes after he a solid preseason debut last week in the Hall of Fame Game against the Dallas Cowboys. Haskins completed 8 of 13 passes for 54 yards in his first exhibition outing with the Steelers. Both drives he piloted ended with scores.

Haskins was composed against the Eagles and said a suggestion from quarterbacks coach Mike Sullivan to play like a “jazz player” paid off.

“Pretty much be smooth, and that is what I was trying to do,” Haskins said. “Be smooth, allow plays to come to me, trust what I saw and let my eyes and feet tell me where to go with the ball.”

If Haskins can grab hold of the backup job for 2021, it could end up blossoming into a larger opportunity down the road. With Roethlisberger 39 years old and nearing the end of his strong career, Haskins could position himself to get another opportunity as a full-time starter with the Steelers.

Continuing to play like he has throughout the last three weeks in practice and preseason games will go a long way toward giving him that chance in the future.

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Im impressed with Haskins so far... just a couple of looks at him, but its good to see what a change of pace or new scenery (coaching) can bring to a player.

 

John Lynch: Starting QB job is Jimmy Garoppolo’s right now, Trey Lance is pushing him



The 49ers are continuing to insist that Jimmy Garoppolo is their starting quarterback, but they’re not exactly hiding the fact that rookie Trey Lance is making a strong case to take the job from Jimmy G.

San Francisco General Manager John Lynch said this morning that head coach Kyle Shanahan will make the final call, but Lynch is noticing a lot of good things from Lance.

“That’s up to Kyle. That’s up to our head coach,” Lynch said on the Murph & Mac show, via 49ersWebZone.com. “He makes the decisions on who’s playing and what not. But I think it’s Jimmy’s right now and Trey’s pushing. I think that’s where it’s at.”

The 49ers obviously thought very highly of Lance heading into the draft, which is why they traded their 2021, 2022 and 2023 first-round picks to get into position to take him. But Lynch said Lance has been even better than expected.

“He’s been awesome. He’s been everything we thought he would be and more. He was good from day one when he walked in here in the offseason, and I think a testament to what we thought he was and his work ethic,” Lynch said.

The 49ers plan to start Garoppolo in the first preseason game but play him for only one series, while Lance will play the rest of the first half. Lance will have plenty of preseason opportunities to show what he can do, and if he outplays Garoppolo, no one should be shocked if Lance pushes Garoppolo right out of a starting job.

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Jacob Eason will start Sunday and play most of the first half




Owner Jim Irsay said Thrusday the Colts likely start one of the quarterbacks already with the team in the event Carson Wentz isn’t ready to return from foot surgery in time for the Sept. 12 season opener.

That means Jacob Eason or Sam Ehlinger has an opportunity, and the two will have an equal opportunity.

Colts coach Frank Reich said Friday that Eason will start Sunday’s preseason opener against the Panthers and play about “a quarter and a half.” Ehlinger is expected to do the same the following week against Minnesota, Reich adds.

The Colts made Eason a fourth-round choice in 2020 and Ehlinger a sixth-round selection in 2021. Neither has played a down in the preseason or in the regular season.

“We think we have a good team, so if one of those guys is our starting quarterback Week 1, they don’t have to be a superstar,” Reich said, via Zak Keefer of TheAthletic.com. “I want to see them trust the run game, make plays in play-action, then in third down and red zone where you’ve got to be right, be right”

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Justin Fields has solid performance in Bears’ preseason opener



Bears rookie quarterback Justin Fields has made his NFL debut, and fans in Chicago are liking what they’re seeing.

Fields looks poised and in command of the Bears’ offense as he led them on back-to-back scoring drives, first leading the Bears into field goal range as the first half expired, and then running for a touchdown to conclude the first drive of the second half. On the second drive of the second half, Fields made moves with both his arm and his legs, concluding the drive with a touchdown pass.

Not everything was perfect: On back-to-back plays in the second quarter, Fields threw a pass that easily could have been intercepted, then fumbled and was lucky not to lose it. But generally speaking, Fields passed his first test.

Perhaps more importantly, Fields looked better than Andy Dalton, who started the game, played two series, and led the Bears’ offense to two three-and-outs.

Bears coach Matt Nagy has insisted that Dalton will be the Bears’ starter in Week One. If Fields and Dalton keep playing the way they’ve played today, Nagy may change his mind.

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I really wanted the Vikings to draft him cause I do not believe that Capt Kirk can win a SB

 

Im a fan of Fields. I thought he did well for a rookie today and he will get better and better. I think he has the ability to learn and adapt. Scary to think of Chicago with a good QB.

 

Vic Fangio: Both QBs played well, no separation today



Drew Lock got the first shot to run the Broncos offense in Saturday’s preseason opener and he made the most of it.

Lock drove the Broncos to Minnesota’s 4-yard-line to open the game, hit KJ Hamler for an 80-yard touchdown on the first play of the second drive, and threw another touchdown to cap a 10-play, 85-yard drive with his second touchdown pass of the day. Lock was 5-of-7 for 151 yards before giving way to Teddy Bridgewater, who had success as well.

Bridgewater was 7-of-8 for 74 yards and a touchdown, which led head coach Vic Fangio to say after the game that both quarterbacks played well.

“I don’t think any separation happened today,” Fangio said, via Andrew Mason of DNVR Sports.

Bridgewater is set to start the team’s second preseason game and he’ll likely see more starters than the Vikings fielded on Saturday, so that may be a spot where some separation starts to appear in the Broncos’ quarterback competition.

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A great QB battle in Denver, for sure.

 

Zach Wilson has quiet night in Jets debut



Quarterback Zach Wilson got his first taste of NFL game action on Saturday night against the Giants and the Jets didn’t ask too much of their first-round pick.

Wilson was 6-of-9 for 63 yards while playing the first two offensive possessions of the night. The Jets kicked a field goal to cap their first drive and had a first down in Giants territory wiped out by an offensive pass interference penalty on their second.

Wilson found tight end Tyler Kroft for a 13-yard gain on third-and-14 after the penalty, but the Giants stuffed running back Ty Johnson behind the line on fourth down.

Johnson ran seven times while Wilson was in the game and rookie Michael Carter had five carries as the Jets didn’t put too much on the rookie’s shoulders in his preseason debut. When needed, the rookie did come up with some productive throws. Wilson hit Keelan Cole and Corey Davis to convert third downs and Vyncint Smith picked up another first down through the air, but he and Davis were not able to connect on the third down before Chris Naggar‘s field goal in the first quarter.

Wilson will get extra reps this week as the Jets will practice with the Packers for two days in Green Bay before playing at Lambeau Field next Saturday night.

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the Broncos came to play and win,the Vikings were MIA it was embarrassing

 

Kyle Shanahan saw “some good and some bad” from Trey Lance



San Francisco rookie quarterback Trey Lance threw for an outstanding 80-yard touchdown on his second preseason pass. But the rest of the game wasn’t quite as spectacular.

On Lance’s other 13 passes, he completed just four of them, for 48 yards and no touchdowns. He also struggled to avoid the pass rush and got sacked four times. 49ers coach Kyle Shanahan acknowledged afterward that Lance has plenty of work to do.

“There was some good and some bad. By no means was it perfect,” Shanahan said. “There were a couple of spots that you’d like him to go to different places. Sometimes, a couple of balls that sailed on him that I think he’d like to have back. But he also came out pretty good too, making the right plays, getting in the right spots. We had a couple of drops there especially on a third down that he could have kept the drive going if we had caught it. But it was a good first day. I didn’t want it to go perfect for him. I’d like some things that he could learn from. And there will be a lot of things that we can go over tomorrow.”

Jimmy Garoppolo started the game and went 3-for-3 for 26 yards. The 49ers drafted Lance to be their starting quarterback, but Shanahan indicated that Garoppolo hasn’t lost the starting job just yet.

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Trevor Lawrence says he was nervous at first, settled down quickly in preseason debut



Jaguars quarterback Trevor Lawrence made his much-anticipated NFL preseason debut on Saturday night, and he said afterward that he was feeling some nerves on his first play, when he was hit and fumbled.

“The first play you’re a little bit, especially first game here in the NFL, you’re a little bit nervous; but after that, you’re just playing ball,” Lawrence said, via ESPN. “Definitely felt that [comfort] setting in. I usually typically get nervous before the first game of any season anyway, so that’s pretty standard. I was excited. I was ready to get out there. It’s been a long time coming. It’s been my dream.”


Lawrence said that once he shook off the nerves, he felt good about how he played.

“I feel like the first time out there, I felt comfortable, felt poised,” Lawrence said. “Obviously, the first play’s not kind of what you want for the first play, but after that, I thought we did a good job. We communicated well up front. They did a really good job of protection. At least one of those sacks was on me, for sure, just holding the ball too long. That’s something I’ll work on. Just maneuvering in the pocket is something I’ve always got to work on.”

Officially, the Jaguars say Lawrence and Gardner Minshew are competing for the starting job. Realistically, it’s hard to see any way Minshew wins the competition, especially after Lawrence outplayed Minshew on Saturday night. Lawrence went 6-for-9 for 71 yards, while Minshew went 4-for-8 for 47 yards.

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Report: MRI on Jordan Love’s shoulder comes back clean



Packers quarterback Jordan Love had his preseason debut cut short on Saturday night, but it doesn’t look like he should be limited in the future.

Love was set to play three quarters against the Texans, but left at halftime after getting “dinged up” on second quarter sack. Love said he was feeling good after the game and tests on Sunday reportedly show no reason for concern.

Adam Schefter of ESPN reports that an MRI of Love’s right shoulder came back clean. That should allow for Love to get back on the practice field this week.

Assuming that’s the case, Love will get a chance to work against the Jets defense in a couple of joint practices before next Saturday’s game between the two teams. Love was 12-of-17 for 122 yards and a touchdown before exiting against Houston.

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Cam Newton hasn’t been told he’s the Week One starter



Since the Patriots drafted Mac Jones, head coach Bill Belichick has maintained Cam Newton will be the team’s starting quarterback until someone beats him out.

Or in other words, Newton is still the starting quarterback — for now.

But with the regular season now less than a month away, there’s no guarantee that Newton will be behind center for the opener against the Dolphins.

Newton addressed that on Monday. While he initially deflected, saying, “You know the answer to that question,” he eventually explicitly set out what he has and hasn’t been told.

“Y’all sitting up here asking silly questions to me and I’m looking at y’all with the same thing. I don’t know what y’all want me to say,” Newton said, via Karen Guregian of the Boston Herald. “You know, you know that. You know he hasn’t said that, so for you to just ask the question, it is what it is.

“So every single day I’m coming out here with the intention to just get better. That’s the only thing I can do. I can control that. But as far as somebody else’s analogy or interpretation for what Week One is, I’m trying to focus on what tomorrow brings, and making adjustments in tonight’s meetings.”

Newton went on to add that there’s so much time between now and the first game of the regular season that it being named the starter isn’t his focus.

“I don’t take [your questions] personal. I just want you guys to understand, everything y’all know, I know,” Newton said. “There’s no hidden motives or things like that. I do know those things like that, I can’t worry about. Because each and every day, I don’t necessarily care about who’s starting, I mostly care about making sure I put the best product out there for me, and I know Mac is feeling the same way, I know Brian [Hoyer] is feeling the same way and everybody else, going down each and every position.

“As far as Week One, we’ve got so much to worry about prior to Week 1. And that’s where my focus is right now.”

With Jones continuing to make progress, there is a chance Newton won’t be New England’s QB1 by the time the season starts. But a lot can happen over the course of a month, and Newton does have the advantage of experience in the league and in the Patriots’ offensive system.

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Just my observation, I think Belichick wants Cam and Mac to bust their balls. If he did come out and say who starts week 1 there might be some complacency among the 2 QB's. He also needs to see who is going to move the sticks on the offense the most effectively. Cam has the upper hand, but Mac aint no slouch either. Interesting QB battle there.

 

That could be it, or we could be looking at a situation where Bill is trying to decipher what he wants his offensive identity to be and which arm better serves that identity.

Cam presents one type of threat, whereas Mac presents a sharp contrast.

 

Id be real curios as to what those differences would be in your opinion if and when you have time.

Maybe Mac is the pocket guy and Cam more of a scramble option? One thing I do know, Cam wears some funny stuff on his head, lol.

 

There are some really interesting QB battles this preseason... Denver and Chicago come to mind. Chicago's situation seems to be similar to New England's. If Fields keeps lighting it up, they have a decision to make there also.

 

That would be the primary thing that defensive coordinators would have to account for, which changes that types of look the offense may get from down to down.